Thomas Gelmi

Executive Sparring, Management Training, Coaching

Based in Switzerland, Thomas Gelmi stands for executive sparring, coaching and training on an international level. He has a professional background in business and respective qualifications in management, leadership and executive coaching. Among his customers are multinational corporations such as Siemens, Credit Suisse and Zurich Insurance, various SMEs and private individuals. Thomas Gelmi was born 1968 and speaks German, English, French and Italian fluently.

I am writing this article on a return flight from Los Angeles, where I am currently participating in an exciting documentary movie project about coaching. Passenger boarding here in L.A. just took pla...

In today's fast moving world with its ever-increasing uncertainty and complexity, both organizations and individuals are facing big challenges. In this environment, we need to strengthen the individua...

Employees are expected to perform -- no doubt about that. But how well do leaders make use of their competencies and behavior to create the ideal circumstances and fertile ground for optimal performance?

There are many analogies being used these days to explain good leadership, ranging from the alpine guide leading a group of roped climbers to the summit, to the skipper sailing a regatta with the crew. One of my all time favourites though is the analogy of the maestro conducting an orchestra.

Unfortunately, sensitivity has a rather negative connotation in western cultures. In a society that favors the loudest and the fastest, sensitivity is often put on a level with poor resilience and weakness, which is flat-out wrong. But this poor image of sensitivity is not the same all over the world.

Unlike animals, human beings have successfully developed the capacity to think about what is not immediately going on around them and to contemplate events that happened in the past or might possibly happen in the future. While this capacity called imagination can be a blessing, it can be a curse at the same time.

Leading people is often seen as a side activity and taken for granted with some people being more talented than others, which is unfortunately still a widespread opinion in many organizations. Indeed, there are huge differences in the quality of leadership. But why is that?

The announcement of Swisscom CEO Carsten Schloter's suicide shook the media earlier this summer, followed by the suicide of Pierre Wauthier, CFO of the Zurich Insurance Group, only a few weeks later. For many people in leading positions, "lonely at the top" is not just a simple cliché, but rather a sad reality. A personal sparring partner can make a crucial difference.

A while ago, I had the opportunity to witness the demonstration of an avalanche airbag. The space created by the airbag can save lives in a situation that would otherwise bear the imminent risk of suffocation. I was immediately aware of the symbolism: Metaphorically speaking, our packed days and weeks are like avalanches, rolling over our heads and burying us underneath them. As in a real avalanche, the key lays in creating space.

Increasing complexity and diminishing workplace security define our society. We live in a time in which straight careers with long lasting company affiliation have been replaced by an increasing numbe...